DePasquale on Budget

from the inbox:

State Rep. Eugene DePasquale (D-York) criticized Governor Corbett for refusing to cede a dollar from his drastic cuts to education and health care even after additional revenue has come into the state’s coffers.

Recent Treasury Department reports reveal that Pennsylvania's budget surplus has grown to $540 million dollars; if this trend continues we can conservatively project that the state will collect one billion dollars more in revenue by June of 2012 than originally anticipated.

That's one billion dollars with a "B".

“Despite this unexpected source of revenue, Governor Corbett refuses to decrease his proposed cuts to K-12 schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, and programs that help victims of domestic violence and rape,” said DePasquale.

At the same time, the Governor proposes several hundred million dollars in corporate tax breaks, refuses to consider changing laws that allow corporations to hide income from taxation by setting up shell companies in Delaware, and steadfastly refuses to support any kind of severance tax on Marcellus Shale leveled on the giant corporations who are set make billions off our natural resources.

“Corbett's determination to cut these vital services and programs while giving huge tax breaks to corporations underscores why I am considering a run for Auditor General next year,” said DePasquale. ”We need an Auditor General who not only will identify wasteful spending but who will be a strong progressive voice that will hold Corbett accountable for how he chooses to spend taxpayer dollars.”

“If he chooses to slash funding for our schools, our hospitals, or other critical services, I will use the Auditor General office to make sure Pennsylvanians know that he is putting our state's future and well-being at risk. We cannot allow our working families to continue getting soaked by corporate welfare in this economic downpour.“